RideLust

Back in the late 1950′s the United States was seeing a upturn in the economy. The post war period had seen strong economic growth and because of this housing, electronics and yes, even the automobile manufacturers were all back producing at capacity. Back then there was a renewed source of optimism amongst manufacturers and nowhere was that greater seen then in the auto industry. Chrysler was always pushing the limits of engineering, but in 1963 they took things a little bit further then everyone else by developing a turbine driven car that was slated to be sold as a mass production automobile. Initially Chrysler built a fleet of these machines and put them in the hands of select individuals as a marketing strategy / test fleet. They had the owners write logs, monitor performance and gauge the cars overall reliability.
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Every year the American Council For An Energy Efficient Economy releases a list of the twelve “greenest” vehicles of the current model year. Unlike other studies, which look at tailpipe emissions and fuel economy only, the ACEEE report examines a multitude of factors, including fuel economy, the energy impact of producing the vehicle, the environmental impact of creating or recycling vehicle components (including EV batteries) and upstream emissions produced by generating electricity for EV charging. With that in mind, their list for 2011 might surprise you, because it isn’t limited to EVs and plug-in hybrids. Read on to see what cars made the cut. Read More…

Man how the times have changed at Chrysler. Automotive News is reporting that beginning in 2013, Chrysler minivans will be the recipients of a 9-speed automatic transmission sourced by German supplier, ZF Friedrichshafen AG. This is pretty amazing, especially when you consider that 40 years ago a Chrysler 727-automatic transmission only had 3-speeds. The purpose of a nine-speed gearbox is simple; improved fuel economy. Keep in mind that we’re not talking about a 1 or 2 mile difference in your cars MPG’s, but an increase that could be higher then 25 percent. ZF management member, Dr. Michael Paul stated, “This will be a major step for front-wheel drive cars in terms of fuel economy,” but also added “To be honest, we don’t think there is very much to be gained by adding even more gears.” Over the past years manufacturers have been doing everything possible to improve fuel economy in their vehicles due to tougher and tougher regulations. The real question though is, when will these conventional transmissions become obsolete and who is working on the next big solution?

Source: Automotive News

For 2011 Chrysler is launching the new 200 sedan, a car that is set to go head to head with the likes of the Honda Accord, all new Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry. It has fresh new styling, sufficient room for 5 adults and now, according to the EPA, even gets decent fuel economy. The base Chrysler 200 comes equipped with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 173 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. This 4-banger propels the 200 to a projected 20 mpg city/31 mpg hwy through a new 6-speed automatic transmission. Now while this isn’t bad, it still falls below its rivals, as the Hyundai Sonata is rated at 22 city/35 mpg, the Honda Accord at 22 city/34 mpg and finally the Toyota Camry at 22 city/32 mpg.
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Looking back on 2010, it was one hell of a roller coaster. Like any other year, it had it’s good times and bad times, but the good times seemed fewer and farther between than in years passed. On the automotive front, enthusiasts got some great new choices, greens got the first modern mass produced electric car (and the first serial hybrid) and everyone else got improved quality and reliability. Car sales were up, despite a down economy, and both Audi and Hyundai posted record years. GM proved that they’re well on the way back to financial health, and Ford continued their growth in market share. Even Chrysler rallied in 2010, introducing the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Fiat 500 and the revised 2011 Charger and Challenger.

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Visiting Paris? Bicycles are always welcome. Image: Pline

Paris, France, wants you to leave your SUV at the city limits. Drive an older Mercedes diesel, or something else that belches particulates and sucks down gas like Lyndsay Lohan sucks down martinis? Paris wants you to leave that outside of the city as well. In fact, if what you drive isn’t compact and fuel efficient, don’t plan on visiting Paris behind the wheel after next year. The city is in the process of restricting “gas guzzling” vehicles, although they have yet to precisely define what fuel economy will be needed to make a vehicle exempt. The ban would limit access to congested areas of the city during certain times of day or certain times of the year, unless drivers were behind the wheel of a “green” vehicle. Paris isn’t the first city across the pond to institute such a ban, as London and Berlin already have gass-guzzler restrictions in place.

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With the average price of regular fuel in the United States teetering around $3.15 per gallon I got to wondering if die-hard car enthusiasts would change their buying habits. My daily driver for instance gets a whopping combined mileage of about 15 mpg. Obviously it’s not the most efficient vehicle on the planet, but as a performance vehicle I make the compromise to pay more at the pump so I can have more fun on the road. There are however times that filling up my tank to the tune of $60.00 does make me reconsider my choice in vehicles. This week for instance I happen to be driving around in a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a car that gets about 35 mpg on the highway. It’s a car that gets economy car mileage, but one that doesn’t feel like an economy car.
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Ford's Fusion Hybrid currently uses Auto Start Stop. Image: Ford Motor Company

Auto Start Stop Explained

If you live in Jacksonville, FL, waiting at traffic lights is part of your daily routine. The city has more traffic signals than anywhere else I’ve ever lived, and some of the lights are absurdly long. It’s not uncommon to wait between three and five minutes for a traffic light to change, since the city engineers seem to have designed traffic flow with the “what’s your hurry” theme in mind. No joke: even without heavy traffic volume, it can easily take you 45 minutes to drive 10 miles across town.

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The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Photo: Hyundai Motors America

If you’ve been waiting for your chance to snap up a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, you’ll need to wait a little bit longer. I can’t tell you exactly when they’ll hit dealer lots, but I can tell you what the 40 MPG hybrid sedans will sell for when they do arrive. Keeping things simple, Hyundai will offer just two versions of the Sonata Hybrid: the base model will sticker at $25,795, and the Premium version will sticker at $30,795. There’s a $750 destination charge on top of those prices, so call it $26,545 for the base model and $31,545 for the Premium version.

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Filling up my car with fuel is something that I would really prefer not to do. For one, it takes premium and two, I simply don’t like paying for gas. This morning for example I took a trip to the pump and paid $3.51 per gallon for just a tick over 17 gallons of fuel. My bill… just over $60.00. Now, in as much as I hate doing that, the truth is what alternatives do we really have? We either pay what we’re told, buy an expensive electric car, or go back to riding bicycles to work. Keep in mind that I know my car is a gas guzzling whore, but like the old saying goes, “if you want to play, you’ve got to pay.”
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